Women's experiences and perceptions on the impacts of maternal near miss and related complications in Rwanda: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Maternal morbidity and mortality continue to emerge across the globe especially in lower-income countries. This study aimed at exploring in-depth perceptions of near-miss experiences among Rwandan women and how these experiences can be used to develop strategies for health policy implementation. Using qualitative inductive research based on grounded theory, we analyzed 27 indepth interviews that were conducted with women with documented records of maternal near-miss events. Women were knowledgeable about pregnancy complications and the benefits of antenatal care. Near-miss events that occurred either before or during hospitalization. Women recognized their own involvement their near-miss events by delaying care seeking. They also mentioned delays due to healthcare providers delaying transfers, misdiagnosing the events, and delaying to intervene even at the time the diagnosis was made. Women acknowledged the life-saving role of outreach programs and community health workers. We that pregnancy outcomes would be improved in this population of women with education on pregnancy complications, training of community health workers, and sustained mentorship program. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[5] 63-71).